News & Media

We are thrilled to share news of the expansion of our fleet, an exciting development both for CoastXP and for sustainable tourism in Lake Macquarie. Introducing our new vessel, Hydro! Launching on the 1st of February 2024, Hydro accommodates up to 12 guests and will complement our 20-guest flagship boat, Atmos. This further enhances our ability to provide exceptional experiences in both Newcastle and Lake Macquarie – While Atmos will continue to operate primarily from Newcastle, Hydro will be based in Lake Macquarie full-time and will allow us to offer entirely new ecotourism activities in the Lake. As a local ecotourism business deeply committed to our community, we take great pride in this significant milestone, both for CoastXP and for our shared vision of growing Lake Macquarie as a sustainable tourism destination.

The NSW Government is delivering on its commitment to provide additional support to wildlife hospitals, koala protection and research with more than $3.5 million in new funding provided to three regional wildlife care facilities.

Destination NSW this week launched a fresh approach to growing the business events sector in regional NSW at the Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Expo (AIME) in Melbourne, with new messaging aligned to its ‘Feel New’ visitor brand.

Showcasing immersive visitor experiences in regional NSW, the new ‘Corporate events that feel anything but’ positioning presents an engaging alternative to the traditional business event experience.

Since the release of the 20-Year Economic Vision for Regional NSW in July 2018, our regional communities have faced a series of challenges in the form of drought, bushfres, foods and the COVID-19 pandemic. These events have taken a signifcant toll on regional industries, jobs, families and individuals but there are already clear signs of recovery in our regions. Housing demand in regional NSW rose in the second half of 2020 and an estimated 17 million tonnes of grain will be harvested over the 2020-21 summer harvest.

More than 1500 mountain bike riders, including some of the sport’s top athletes, will descend on Lake Macquarie in March for the GWM Mountain Bike National Championships. Held for the first time in the Awaba Mountain Bike Park at the foot of the Watagan Mountains, the Championships will run 12-17 March and include downhill, adaptive, cross-country and pump track disciplines. The venue is no stranger to large-scale competition, having hosted numerous downhill and cross-country National Series races over the past decade. But AusCycling CEO Marne Fechner said the 2024 Championships would be bigger and better than any previous contest staged at Awaba, with more than 1500 riders across all age categories, including world-class athletes bound for the 2024 Paris Olympics and UCI World Championships

Reflections Jimmys Beach has been named Holiday Park of the Year (more than 100 sites) at the Caravan and Camping Industry Association NSW’s 2023 awards at a gala event in Barangaroo, Sydney.

On Worimi Country an hour north of Newcastle in the picturesque village of Hawks Nest, Jimmys Beach Reflections is operated by Reflections Holiday Parks, a Crown Land Manager which reinvests profit into the nature reserves and parks it cares for on behalf of the NSW public, and the only holiday park group in Australia that is a certified social enterprise.

MORE AUSSIE TRAVELLERS FLOCK TO REGIONAL AREAS POST-PANDEMIC.

Regional tourism con0nues to be the success story of Australia’s domes0c tourism market with average visita0on surging to 9% above pre-pandemic levels, according to new data released by the Tourism & Transport Forum (TTF) Australia.

Following a highly successful collaboration to examine the recovery of Australia’s Central Business Districts (CBDs) post-pandemic, the Tourism & Transport Forum (TTF) Australia commissioned DSpark to turn its attention to regional Australia. Together, we attempted to discover how regional tourism destinations are faring in 2023 to provide valuable insights for Australia’s tourism, transport and aviation sectors. Since COVID-19, many regional tourism operators have benefited from Australians’ growing appetite for domestic travel. However, tourism providers continue to face a range of challenges, from increased cost  pressures to finding staff amid the pervasive skills shortage.

The Minns Labor Government is delivering on its commitment to regional NSW communities by ensuring they receive their fair share of funding with a $350 million boost to the new NSW Regional Development Trust Fund and by reforming the Regional Development Act to better reflect their needs.
After a decade of waste and poor decision making by the former Government, this Trust defines a new approach to supporting people living in rural, regional and remote areas. The Trust will focus on improving the wellbeing of people, by improving local amenities,

Maitland Riverlights expects to be bigger and better in 2023, as the popular multicultural festival grows from a single day event to a weeklong celebration of Maitland’s colourful cultural composition. In addition to the traditional event from midday to 9.00pm on Saturday 7 October, this year Riverlights will run an expanded program in the week beforehand, encompassing author talks, cultural degustation sessions, poi workshops, art and lantern making workshops and more.

The incredible new 27km Tomaree Coastal Walk, on Worimi Country, is now open and ready for visitors to experience walking the spectacular coastline in Tomaree National Park. The Tomaree Coastal Walk is the latest NSW Great Walk developed and opened by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and offers an incredible multi-day walking adventure in the heart of Port Stephens. Located on the traditional lands of the Worimi people, the Tomaree Coastal Walk traverses an ancient volcanic landscape rich in culture and nature, starting at Tomaree Head at Shoal Bay and finishing at Birubi Point Aboriginal Place at Anna Bay.

NSW emergency services are getting ready for a potentially dangerous bushfire season with a multi-agency training exercise at the State Emergency Operations Centre at Rural Fire Service (RFS) headquarters at Homebush in western Sydney. The two-day exercise is designed to help keep communities safe and is part of a range of initiatives underway to ensure emergency services are prepared and working together to ensure all available resources are ready to respond during bushfires.

Every minute of every day, Tourism delivers $9,359 of domestic visitor spend into Sydney Surrounds North International visitation
to the Sydney Surrounds North.

That is $13.5 million per day! A value that has grown by 58.8% in the last year alone.

Visitors to Glenrock State Conservation Area will soon enjoy an upgraded carparking experience, with construction to start on a new, 47-space carpark off Scout Camp Road next week. NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) Area Manager Mitch Carter said the carpark will support improved accessibility and visitor safety for Glenrock State Conservation Area (SCA). The 554-hectare Glenrock State Conservation Area is a popular reserve attracting an estimated one million visitors a year, including trail runners, bushwalkers, mountain bike riders, surfers, Scouts, horse riders, hang gliders and abseilers, local residents and families.

Prior to onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Austrade had also consulted widely on the development of the draft strategy – Tourism 2030: A strategy for Australia’s visitor economy to 2030. That work, including the report of the Beyond 2020 Steering Committee, provided an important foundation for development of THRIVE 2030. Thank you also to all those who contributed to this earlier body of work. We look forward to implementing this Strategy with the continued collaboration and contribution by all visitor economy participants.